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[Albion] Club "investigating" dedicated train service to Manchester



Madafwo

Madafwo

I'm probably being facetious.
Nov 11, 2013
1,591
I'd be up for it but it depends what is hauling it.

You'd also have to factor in that as it is a charter train it would have very lax timings as such it should arrive at the scheduled time, even if it is delayed somewhere.

As you can probably tell I have been hit hard by the ban on thermos' at the Amex.
 




Herr Tubthumper

Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
59,465
The Fatherland
Getting back on topic...I think the idea is brilliant in principle but let down by the no booze rule. No way I’d want to be on a train that long without a nice beer. That said, I guess many folk don’t have an issue given the club runs coaches to away games.
 


The Large One

The Large One

Who's Next?
Jul 7, 2003
52,343
97.2FM
Herr Tubthumper said:
To be fair, I don’t have an issue with this as it stops people making me stand up to let them through to buy another beer/have a piss every 5 seconds.
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I've had conversations with Paul Barber about this. He wouldn't be against the idea of beer being allowed to be drunk in sight of the pitch (why wouldn't he be? We drink an obscene amount of beer at the Amex). When discussing logistics, I pointed out that, in my opinion, that would be great, but don't have the bars open during the match, for the very reason you mention.

Because some people feel the need for a half-time pint, by the time you've been served, 10 minutes into the break, you have the choice to either (a) lorry it down (b) drink and miss some of the game or (c) leave some of it - none of which are particularly great options. So why not have the option of taking it to your seat?

I've also raised this with the Football Supporters' Federation, especially as it would make the logistics of stopping using single-use plastic a lot easier. They're happy to take this up, although other issues (safe standing, ticket prices, rail tickets etc) are occupying the bulk of their time at the moment.
 


Quinney

Quinney

Well-known member
Aug 3, 2009
3,653
Hastings
No beers on board would mean it’s a no from me. Shame such an outdated law is still in place. Last football special train I travelled on was Peterborough away in the FA Cup, can’t remember if beers were allowed or not on this train.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 


Blackadder

Blackadder

Brighton Bhuna Boy
Jul 6, 2003
16,077
Haywards Heath
Mellor 3 Ward 4 said:
They certainly were.

I'm sure Sunderland in 77/78/79(?) was about a tenner.

Mind you we did miss te kick off and go in the wrong end!
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Brovion said:
Pretty sure up unitl 1979 they were only about £5 tops. Don't forget the admission was only about £1-£2 too. Ah, those were the days.
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I remember paying the princely sum of £4 (may have been £4.50) for the York City game in the 1976/77 season, the year we were promoted from the third division (York were relegated).
 






AmexRuislip

AmexRuislip

Trainee Spy 🕵️‍♂️
Feb 2, 2014
33,799
Ruislip
Bozza said:
It's law.

PSV operators are reminded of the terms of section 1(1) of the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol) Act 1985, as amended by the Public Order Act 1986, which prohibits the carriage of alcohol on a PSV that is being used for the principal purpose of carrying passengers for the whole or part of a journey to or from a designated sporting event.
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Bozza said:
Section 1(1) of the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol) Act 1985, as amended by the Public Order Act 1986,

1 Offences in connection with alcohol on coaches and trains.

(1)This section applies to a vehicle which
(a) is a public service vehicle or railway passenger vehicle, and
(b) is being used for the principal purpose of carrying passengers for the whole or part of a journey to or from a designated sporting event.

(2) A person who knowingly causes or permits intoxicating liquor to be carried on a vehicle to which this section applies is guilty of an offence
(a) if the vehicle is a public service vehicle and he is the operator of the vehicle or the servant or agent of the operator, or
(b) if the vehicle is a hired vehicle and he is the person to whom it is hired or the servant or agent of that person.

(3) A person who has intoxicating liquor in his possession while on a vehicle to which this section applies is guilty of an offence.

(4) A person who is drunk on a vehicle to which this section applies is guilty of an offence.

(5) In this section public service vehicle and operator have the same meaning as in the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981.
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The Large One said:
Yup. And that includes minibuses.
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The driver has to deal with any of the initial hassle, from drunken louts.
He / she has to clean up all the crap.
I know :(
 








Blackadder

Blackadder

Brighton Bhuna Boy
Jul 6, 2003
16,077
Haywards Heath
Superphil said:
What railcards can you use on London to Manchester train fares?
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I now have a Senior Railcard and it's a godsend. There are some benefits in growing old.

We managed to book advance rail tickets to Manchester last month for £28.75.

Haywards Heath to St Pancras. Short walk to Euston. Train to Stoke (West Midland Trains) Stoke to Manchester (Virgin).

We were meant to change at Stoke on the way back but as they were both Virgin Trains we didn't bother. No one checked our tickets on Virgin (they did on West Midland).

Mind you we had to leave at 6.45 am but it was worth it.
 


pb21

pb21

Well-known member
Apr 23, 2010
6,280
Bozza said:
Section 1(1) of the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol) Act 1985, as amended by the Public Order Act 1986,

1 Offences in connection with alcohol on coaches and trains.

(1)This section applies to a vehicle which
(a) is a public service vehicle or railway passenger vehicle, and
(b) is being used for the principal purpose of carrying passengers for the whole or part of a journey to or from a designated sporting event.

(2) A person who knowingly causes or permits intoxicating liquor to be carried on a vehicle to which this section applies is guilty of an offence
(a) if the vehicle is a public service vehicle and he is the operator of the vehicle or the servant or agent of the operator, or
(b) if the vehicle is a hired vehicle and he is the person to whom it is hired or the servant or agent of that person.

(3) A person who has intoxicating liquor in his possession while on a vehicle to which this section applies is guilty of an offence.

(4) A person who is drunk on a vehicle to which this section applies is guilty of an offence.

(5) In this section public service vehicle and operator have the same meaning as in the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981.
Click to expand...

Don't think about having a few drinks pre and during the game either as you will be committing an offence if you are on the vehicle drunk (however they define that?) on the way back!
 




Badger

Badger

NOT the Honey Badger
NSC Patron
May 8, 2007
12,773
Toronto
Bozza said:
Although in my experience, which I'll admit is not vast, a blind eye is turned to corporate Johnnies pouring their booze into a tea cup or coffee mug and taking it to their posh seat, including at the Amex.
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Ah yes, I remember one of the staff members at Barnsley telling us how he'd be unable to tell the difference between a cappuccino and a foamy lager in a coffee cup.
 


Bozza

Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,703
Back in Sussex
I remember the good times said:
So once again the club try something and we shoot them down. I am a single traveller who uses Seagull Travel and have skipped the long distance trips because of the early starts and late returns. I'd be in for this regardless of cost except that a coach has local pickups and takes me to the ground.
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I'm not shooting them down and I don't think many/any others are too.

I know the club looked at this before in the not too distant past as they discussed with me polling for interest on NSC, but it didn't prove to be practical on that occasion so nothing more happened.

The club should be applauded for looking at this because there will be some who appreciate the convenience of not having to trek across London. I far preferred travelling to Albion away games when I lived in and around Bristol as it was possible to get to many places direct from Temple Meads without the faff of a train change.

The main discussion here is how big that group of people is, given many of us like to have a drink on the way to a game. I'm fully appreciative that it's not the club's rule being imposed with respect to that.
 


Peter Grummit

Peter Grummit

Well-known member
Oct 13, 2004
6,769
Lewes
Herr Tubthumper said:
So, sipping a beer on a regular train is fine. Sipping a beer on a train undertaking the exact same journey albeit for specific clientele is illegal. Stupid.
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The players were drinking on a regular train back from Newcastle in 79 (the future Mrs PG was on it). The club put on 3 Seagull Special charter trains, which were dry. My ticket on the 3rd of these cost me £7: it was my 16th birthday and I didn't really drink then. (Edit: Salaries were about a fifth then what they are today, so the equivalent fare would be £35).

I did a few of the SSs that season - the best things about them were that they got you to the nearest local station (eg I remember being deposited at Leyton Midland Road for Orient) and they had a proper buffet that did hot food like sausage and mash at very reasonable prices.

It's hard to see the advantages of the proposal, if it'll be dry and more expensive.

PG
 
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T

The Optimist

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Apr 6, 2008
2,608
Lewisham
The Large One said:
Advance tickets can be bought for £46 one way (Hove to Manchester). Regular return tickets are £110.

You can do Euston to Manchester for £50 return if you buy them now, though you still have to spend £15-£25 getting to London.

So £80 without the palaver is attractive. Without the booze really isn't.
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The cheapest tickets normally go on sale 12 weeks in advance. So the price should drop. For Man City my dad and I used a two together railcard and paid £30.40 each for Euston to Manchester return. I live in London so a special from Hove and Haywards Heath isn’t going to appeal to me. If I did live down in Sussex £80 for a dedicated train would appeal more than £40 (?) for a coach.
 




The Large One

The Large One

Who's Next?
Jul 7, 2003
52,343
97.2FM
The Optimist said:
The cheapest tickets normally go on sale 12 weeks in advance. So the price should drop. For Man City my dad and I used a two together railcard and paid £30.40 each for Euston to Manchester return. I live in London so a special from Hove and Haywards Heath isn’t going to appeal to me. If I did live down in Sussex £80 for a dedicated train would appeal more than £40 (?) for a coach.
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I think they're mentioning it now as we are exactly three months away from that game.
 




Superphil

Superphil

Dismember
Jul 7, 2003
25,416
In a pile of football shirts


1

1swedegull

Member
Sep 2, 2008
422
Stoke staffs/far far away in the cold
The problem with hiring a train now is that now even the cheapest of operators will charge between £ 75 and £100 so to be honest the price seems about right unfortunately any charter company will have to arrange timings with Network rail and roster drivers locomotives and stock ... which wont be local , the best the club can do is literally fill it which as they say may bring down the price.
As regards timing of the train this is now standard as im sure it will be routed along the west coast mainline and through stoke which is at best busy and even more so with a lack of capacity at weekends due to engineering ..... hope this helps
 


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